Stump-eliminator.



0. T. ROSS. sTUMP BLIMINATOR. APPLICATION FILED APB. 9, 1912. 1,066,535Patented July 8,1913.

l/f IlIlY Illl W/0 #I f\\ Rpg OSCAR T. ROSS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

STUlVIP-ELIMINATOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 191 3.

Application filed April 9, 1912. Serial No. 689,480.

To all l1/ion?, f/' 'may concern Bo it known that I, Osma T. Ross, aciti zen of the United States, residing at lios rhigelcs, in the countyof Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Stump-Eliminators, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a device for removing stumps or the like byburning; and it has to do particularly with certain improvements overstump burners now in use, notably in'iprovements in simplicity ofconstruction and efficiency of action.

According to my present invention I ein ploy a simple cylindrical casingwithout openings except at its end, to encircle the stump; a cover forthe casing havingI a single opening therein,` which opening su'tlicesfor both inlet of air for combustion and outlet of products ofcombustion; and an air injection apparatus which will not only supplythe required quantity .of air nfor combustion but will form a jet toforce the air and the combustion down into the root parts of the st-ump.

I will describe in the followii'ig specitication my now Apreferred formof device, and I have shown this form in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

li`igure l is a sectional. view showing the application of my invention.Fig. .2 is a side view of the cover of. the casing surrounding thestump. Fig. 3 is a plan view' showing my complete plant.

In the drawings 5 designates a stump to which my device is applied, andwhich may have been preliminarily shattered by a small charge ofdynamite or other explosive. This shattering causes fissures G whichprovide for the flame more readily attacking and en tering the stump. Apreferably cylindrical casing 7 surrounds the stump and is provided witha ren'iovable cover S having a comparatively large draft aperture t)preferably centrally located. The diameter and the height of casing Twill depend upon the size o-f the stump; and in my complete apparatus Iprefer to provide a number of different sizes of the casings.

Cover 8 is provided with reinforcements 8a so as to prevent sagging whenheated; and is generally strengtliened to carry the weight of theinjector 10. This injector- 10 preferably comprises an outer airinduction pipe 11 and an inner air pressure pipe 1Q. Outer atmosphereinduction pipe 1l preferably has two portions at right angles to eachother, so that the longer outer portion may rest upon cover S and theinner shorter portion may project downwardly, as at 11, through thedraft opening t) leaving an annular exhaust space around it. '.lheportion l1a of pipe ll. preferably extends fairly close to the upper endof the stump The outer end of the pipe is provided preferably with afunnel 125 through which atmospheric air may enter. The pressure airpipe l2 is of similar shape, having a portion l2 which projet-,ts downcentrally through the portion ll.n of atmosirihere pipe ll, the end ofportion 12 being preferably above the end of portion 11". Iipc 11,2 isconnected by suitable hose connections to any preferred sort of airpressure apparatus. l have preferably shown this apparatus mounted upona truck and composed of an internal combustion engine and an air fan;but this may be as desired.

In operation, the parts are placed over a stump in about; the relativepositions shown in Fig. l. rlhe stump has previously been shattered asdesired, and a tire started by any suitable means. The tire ispreferably started near the top, or on top, of the stump. rlhc tlow ofair through pipe l2 is immediately started, and the jet passing from theend l2 will immediately draw, by injector action, atmospheric oxygenthrough pipe 1l. 'lhe combined volume of air passes downwardly on to andthrough the stump, constantly supplying the llame with fresh oxygen anddriving it downwardly into the stump. As the stump is burned away thelire is driven downiwardly until the gases take the paths represented bythe dotted arrows, burning away the roots of the stump to a considerabledepth below the ground surface. '.lhe greatest heat of combustion willalways be near the center ol. the stump, as upon this point the air frompipes ll and 12 is directly delivered. The gases of combustion pass outas indicated through the draft opening 9 which is made large enough :forthis purpose.

It will be seen that with this apparatus I am able to supply acomparatively large amount of oxygen to the llame without necessarilyutilizing a large amount of power to force air under pressure. A, smalljet passing through the pipe '12 will sullice to draw in a much largervolume of atmospheric air through the pipe ll; and the combined volumeof air is suiiicient to keep up an intense Haine and a high temperaturewithin the casing and within the stump. The jet projects the air downagainst the stump even when the stump is burned down a considerabledistance; and I have found in actual practice that a fier-ce fiame andcomplete combustion is maintained until the roots of an average stumpare completely consumed some distance below the ground. On account ofthe greatest heat being contained well within the stump, there is nodanger of burning out casing 7. And this holding of the heat and flamewithin the stump has anc-ther advantage, in that the core of the stumpand root is completely burned out, the combustion of the outer portionsbeing then easily accomplished.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. A stump burner or the like, comprising an iinperforate cylindricalcasing adapted to surround a stump, a cover for said casing having alarge central draft aperture, an air induction pipe of smaller diameterthan the aperture, said pipe comprising two portions atright angles toeach other one portion adapted to rest upon said cover and the other toproject. downwardly through the said opening in the cover leaving anannular space for exhaust o-f conibustion gases, said air induction pipehaving its' outer end open to atmosphere, an air blast pipe projectingdownwardly through Vthat portion of the induction pipe which pro-jectsthrough said opening, and air compressing apparatus for forcing airunder pressure through the air blast pipe, substantially as described.

Q. A stump burner or the like, comprising an imperforate open endedcylindrical casing adapted to surround a stump, a cover for said casinghaving a large central draft aperture, an air induction pipe of smallerdiameter than the aperture projecting downwardly through the apertureand leaving an annular space for exhaust of combustion` O'ases, saidpipe having its outer end open to atmosphere, an air blast pipeprojecting downwardly within and of smaller diameter than the inductionpipe, and air compressing apparatus for forcing air under pressurethrough the air blast pipe.

3. `In a device of the character described, a cylindrical casing adaptedto surround a stump or the like, a removable cover there-- for having alarge central draft aperture, an air induction pipe of smaller diameterthan the aperture projecting downwardly therethrough leaving an annular'space for exhaust of combustion gases, said pipe having an atmospherereceiving funnel on its outer end, a pressure air pipe extending throughthe induction pipe and discharging centrally downwardly within and aboveits lower end, an air pressure producing apparatus for forcing airthrough said pressure pipe.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 4th day of March, 1912.

OSCAR T. ROSS. Witnesses:

JAMES T. BARKELEW, ELwooD H. BARKELEW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

